barley

barley
barley1
/bahr"lee/, n.
1. a widely distributed cereal plant belonging to the genus Hordeum, of the grass family, having awned flowers that grow in tightly bunched spikes, with three small additional spikes at each node.
2. the grain of this plant, used as food and in making beer, ale, and whiskey.
[bef. 1000; ME; OE baerlic (adj.), equiv. to baer- (var. of bere barley; akin to ON barr barley, Goth barizeins made of barley, Serbo-Croatian bràšno flour, L far emmer; all < European IE *bHaer- spike, prickle, perh. akin to BEARD) + -lic -LY]
barley2
/bahr"lee/, n., pl. barleys. Scot. and North Eng.
a truce or quarter, esp. in children's games; parley.
[1805-15; prob. to be identified with Scots barley, burley, birlie local customary law (Compare BIRLEYMAN arbiter, birleycourt neighborhood court), var. of BIRLAW, ML birlawe, birelegia, birelag < ON *býjarlagu, equiv. to býjar gen. sing. of býr town (cf. BOWER1, BYRE) + *lagu LAW1; cf. BY-LAW]

* * *

Cereal plant of the genus Hordeum, in the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), and its edible grain.

The three cultivated species are H. vulgare, H. distichum, and H. irregulare. Barley is adaptable to a greater range of climate than any other cereal. About half of the world's crop is used as livestock feed, the rest for human food and for malting. Most beer is made from malted barley, which is also used in distilled beverages (see malt). Barley has a nutlike flavour and is high in carbohydrates, with moderate quantities of protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Barley flour is used to make unleavened bread and porridge. Pearl barley, the most popular form in many parts of the world, is often added to soups.

* * *

grain
  cereal plant belonging to the genus Hordeum of the grass family Poaceae (Gramineae) and its edible grain. Hordeum comprises four sections, and all cultivated barleys belong to the section Cerealia. The three species within this section include Hordeum vulgare, a six-rowed type having its spike notched on opposite sides, with three spikelets at each notch, each containing a small individual flower, or floret, that develops a kernel (see photograph—>); Hordeum distichum, a two-rowed type having central florets producing kernels and lateral florets that are normally sterile; and Hordeum irregulare, sometimes called Abyssinian intermediate, the least cultivated, with fertile central florets and varying proportions of fertile and sterile lateral florets.

      Barley cultivation probably originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and in Southeast Asia in prehistorical times. It is believed to extend back to 5000 BC in Egypt, 3500 BC in Mesopotamia, 3000 BC in northwestern Europe, and 2000 BC in China. Barley was the chief bread plant of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans and of much of Europe through the 16th century.

      Barley is adaptable to a greater range of climate than any other cereal, with varieties suited to temperate, sub-Arctic, or subtropical areas. Although it does best in growing seasons of at least 90 days, it is able to grow and ripen in a shorter time than any other cereal; cultivation is possible even in very short seasons such as those of the Himalayan slopes, although the yield there is smaller than in less harsh areas. Barley, with greater resistance to dry heat than other small grains, thrives in the near-desert areas of North Africa, where it is mainly sown in the autumn. Spring-sown crops are especially successful in the cooler, moist areas of western Europe and North America.

      The annual world harvest of barley in the late 1970s was approximately 180,000,000 metric tons from about 246,000,000 acres (96,000,000 hectares). About half of the world's crop is used as livestock feed, the rest for human food and for malting. Most beer is made from malted barley, more than 10 percent of the world's crop being used for this purpose; malted barley is also used in the production of distilled beverages (see malt).

      Barley has a nutlike flavour and is high in carbohydrates, with moderate quantities of protein, calcium, and phosphorus and small amounts of the B vitamins. Because it contains little gluten, an elastic protein substance, it cannot be used to make a flour that will produce a porous loaf of bread; barley flour is used to make an unleavened type, or flatbread, and to make porridge, especially in North Africa and parts of Asia, where it is a staple food grain. Pearl barley, the most popular form in many parts of the world, consists of whole kernels from which the outer husk and part of the bran layer have been removed by a polishing process. It is added to soups.

      Barley has a soft straw, used mostly as bedding for livestock and as a feed providing bulk roughage.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • BARLEY — (Heb. שְׂעוֹרָה; se orah), one of the seven species (see food ) with which Ereẓ Israel was blessed (Deut. 8:8). In biblical times barley bread was a staple food and was extensively cultivated, especially as it grows even in poor soil and in areas …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Barley — Bar ley, n. [OE. barli, barlich, AS. b[ae]rlic; bere barley + l[=i]c (which is prob. the same as E. like, adj., or perh. a form of AS. le[=a]c leek). AS. bere is akin to Icel, barr barley, Goth. barizeins made of barley, L. far spelt; cf. W.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Barley — steht für: einen Ort in England, siehe Barley (Hertfordshire) eine US amerikanische Automobilmarke 1922 1924, siehe Barley (Auto) Barley ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Barley (1942–1971), kanadischer Jazzmusiker (Klarinette,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • barley — O.E. bærlic, originally an adjective, of barley, from bere barley (from P.Gmc. *bariz, *baraz) + lic body, like. First element is related to O.N. barr barley, and cognate with L. far (gen. farris) coarse grain, meal; probably from PIE *bhars… …   Etymology dictionary

  • barley — [bär′lē] n. [ME barli < OE bærlic, of barley < bere, barley + lic ( LY1) < IE base * bhares > FARINA, ON barr, grain] 1. a cereal grass (Hordeum vulgare and related species) with dense, bearded spikes of flowers, each made up of three …   English World dictionary

  • barley — ► NOUN ▪ a hardy cereal with coarse bristles extending from the ears, used chiefly in brewing and animal feed. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Barley — For other uses, see Barley (disambiguation). Barley Barley field …   Wikipedia

  • Barley — This interesting surname of English origin is a locational name from any of the various places called Barley in Lancashire and West Yorkshire deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century bar meaning wild boar or boer meaning barley , plus leah… …   Surnames reference

  • barley — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ malted, malting ▪ roasted ▪ pearl ▪ wild ▪ feed ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • barley — n. 1 any of various hardy awned cereals of the genus Hordeum widely used as food and in malt liquors and spirits such as whisky. 2 the grain produced from this (cf. pearl barley). Phrases and idioms: barley sugar an amber coloured sweet made of… …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”